Pokemon Ranger Guardian Signs: A New Mission
by ASiriusWriter01
Summary: Kate was assigned to assist the rangers in the Oblivia Region, and she fought with everything she had in the final battle. Despite her best efforts, Oblivia fell to the Pinchers. Now in an unfamiliar region with a busted styler, she has no other choice. Kate has to complete her mission to protect Oblivia one way or another. She has to become a trainer.
1. Chapter 1

Fire. It spreads wildly, killing all that it reaches with its burning fingers. Despite my best efforts, the water pokemon I capture are never strong enough to calm the raging flames. Even Latias's psychic powers can't hold back the flames.

Oblivia has been burning for days. There are only four rangers stationed in the entire region, and we've become spread far too thin. I've been protecting Renbow Island with all I have, but it has slowly succumbed to the flames engulfing the region. Calling upon all the legendaries I can, Latias, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, I've managed to keep this island safer than the others, but that hardly says anything considering that Sophian Island is nothing but rubble and ash. The Ranger Union had promised to send over Wendy, Sven, and Keith to help out, but that was days ago. Keith should have come to the region with me when I was sent as backup months ago since the Union considers us as partners, but apparently some mission came up for him in Fiore. I haven't heard from him in a week, and I was worried about him until the Union promised that he'd be sent over here. Wendy is known as the "Flying Ranger" so the fact that she isn't here yet is something to worry over. She's the best at flying and could've been here within the day. Sven should have come in with Wendy, and he is one person who takes every mission seriously, punctuality included. He should be here!

Ben went to Dolce Island just before the league promised reinforcements. I haven't heard from him since. Pinchers that have battled me gloat about sinking Dolce Island, but that's impossible! Sinking an entire island is not something that you can just do! It would explain so much though...No! Ben is alive! I refuse to believe that a fellow ranger could've succumbed to this monstrosity. He's just been too busy to call in; that's all! I know that I'm lucky if I call in once a day!

Summer went to enlist the help of the legendary bird trio and Ho-oh. I've been hearing shrieks that can only belong to Zapdos these past few hours, so I can only believe that she is on her way to success. I'm not worried about her. Between the legendary Latios and Celebi, she is more than safe. Rand...I wish I could be so sure about him. He's on Mitonga Island, the only other settled island that is still salvageable. He may have experience, but energy runs low with his older age. I pray that my fears are unfounded for the sake of his family, but he missed his check in time which was five hours ago.

Me? I'm absolutely dying out here. I'm famished and tired, but I'm constantly running around. Sweat trickles down my entire body as I work nonstop to salvage what's left of this island. With Latias and the legendary beasts by my side, I should've been tearing through the Pinchers like nothing. Alas, the only legendary currently with me is Latias. The others have split up in order to protect the people and pokemon from the fires. The water pokemon that I've summoned to combat the fires are nearly as exhausted as I am. Suicune has stopped by every so often to contribute a Hydro Pump, but not enough significant progress has been made. With the water pokemon on the verge of collapsing, my hands are tied. I can't save their homes, but the people's and pokemon's lives can be saved. Halting in combating the fires for a moment, I summon an Alakazam using its ranger sign.

"Alakazam, my friend Cherry the pachirisu is going to show you where this island's people and pokemon are hiding. Send them to the Ranger Union in Almia; send Cherry too! Please. There isn't much time yet!" I plead hoarsely.

Alakazam nodded gravely. Sighing in relief, I call over Cherry and instruct her to guide Alakazam to the inhabitants of the island omitting the fact that I'll probably never see him again. The little guy would never go if he knew that I'm being left behind. Giving him one last pat on the head, I send him off. Within minutes, I'm surrounded by all of the legendaries that I summoned. The dog trio being here told me that all of the island's inhabitants are safe, and my breathing got a little easier. There's still work to be done though.

"As much as I don't want to say this, we have to leave right now. We are sitting ducks if we don't..."

Raikou looks at me sadly. He doesn't want to leave his home, but he knows that it's the right thing to do. Sighing sadly, I walk over to the beast and pull him into one last hug.

"I won't fault you for refusing to leave your home. Goodbye, my friend," I whimper out.

Raikou gives me a heartfelt head but before disappearing into the tree line. Tears stream down my face. The first legendary that I encountered in this region is going to be gone forever, but I can't ask him to leave his homeland to be devoured by flames. No, Raikou is going to die valiantly fighting the deadly flames like the hero that I've come to know and love. I bow my head slightly for a moment in remembrance of my friend before looking at the others. Two thirds of the dog trio and Latias still look to me for the next order, and I gladly take the opportunity to shove my goodbyes out of my head. There will be time to mourn later if I survive.

"Well how touching," a sarcastic voice came from above.

I gasp, "Purple Eyes!"

"Hello there Kate," he says as he revs up his energy cannon. "I must say that it's been an honor fighting you. Too bad you're finished."

He lets loose a horrific beam, and I am frozen in place. Suicune notices my lack of mobility and knocks me out of the way, taking the hit for me. Her pained cries tug at my heart, and I can only watch the heartbreaking scene through tear-filled eyes. When it was all said and done, Suicune's body was charred so much that it was completely black. The majestic North Wind will no longer blow.

I sit there numb. Suicune dies because of my incapability to even move. Nothing registers in my brain until I see Entei leap up to attack purple eyes only to get sliced in half. A fresh wave of grief rips through my soul, but it also jumpstarts my body. I scramble onto Latias's back, and we take off into the skies with Purple Eyes on our tail.

Purple Eyes isn't playing around. He sends skarmory, pidgeot, and other vicious birds to distract me while attacking with his plasma cannon. Even with Latias's help, we couldn't help but take a few hits. As soon as Mitonga Island appears, I order her to land. She's taken too many hits, and I'll be damned if one of my closest friends dies because I ignored her injuries.

The landing was a rough one, but we manage to survive. I try to send Latias away to hide, but she refuses to leave my side. I stroke her neck affectionately as I scope out our surroundings. The town has been reduced to smoldering ashes. The fire had left because there was nothing else to destroy, but I still see flames on the horizon.

"Enjoying the view? I agree; the destruction is beautiful," Purple Eyes drawls as he comes into view. "I must say; you rangers have been thorns in my sides from day one. It's a delight to see all of you squirm before your deaths."

Deaths? He's...he's been killing our rangers off?!

"Those other Top Rangers were impressive despite the fact that they fell too," he continues. "They were quite impressive fliers, but I'm unstoppable with this!" He takes a moment to put on gold armor. Wait...the Gold Amor?"Hmm. So you recognize this armor? Perhaps you aren't as clueless as the others had been. Those two younger trainers had no idea what they were up against, and they fell rather quickly. That one other ranger fell when the Societea fell. You are all alone, Kate. Don't worry, I shall remedy that soon. Come now, Mewtwo!"

A feline purple pokemon came into view. It exuded a dark aura, and I couldn't help but take a step back. Nonetheless, I stand tall and proud while reading my styler. If I can capture Darkrai, I can capture Mewtwo.

"Capture on!"

Mewtwo attacks me viciously, and I can barely get a loop around it. Latias manages to get an attack in every now and again, but I try to keep her away from Mewtwo. She doesn't manage to help me much.

The capture is impossible. Even with the Vatonage Styler, Mewtwo remains practically unresponsive to the feelings of friendship that I try to convey. It relentlessly hits me with numerous shadow balls and psychics. Finally, I can't take it anymore. One particularly strong shadow ball leaves me bloodied and unable to breath. Latias cries out in fear, and I know no more.


	2. Chapter 2

"What do we do with her now, Gramps?"

"We have to wait for her to get better or at least regain consciousness before making any decisions, Blue. She has obviously been through some traumatic situations lately, and we don't know how she is mentally yet. The fact that she came in with a legendary pokemon doesn't put my mind at ease at all," an elderly voice gently chides the other.

Legendary pokemon? Latias! The recent events flood my brain, and I shoot up into a stiff sitting position. Looking around frantically, I see no sign of my only friend left. All I see are two other people in the room, an old man and I guy around my age. They look shocked at my sudden movement, but I really couldn't care less about those two. Feeling frantic without a familiar presence, my addled mind decides that the best thing to do would be to find Latias and make sure she's alright. I scramble out of bed, but a searing pain has me falling to the floor instead of getting on my feet.

"Don't get out of bed! You're injured, young lady!" the old guy reprimands.

"Latias!" I croak out. "LATIAS!"

"She's fine! She's fine! Please don't strain yourself child!" the old man attempts to comfort me.

My foggy mind barely registers the younger guy leaving the room, but I do register him coming back with an all too familiar red and white pokemon. She cries out happily when she catches sight of me.

"Latias!" I sob out.

Blubbering incoherently, I pull her into a hug. She's okay! She's the only one who's okay... We sob brokenly as we hug, and all of the deaths finally catch up to me. Sven, Wendy, Ben, Summer, all of those innocents, the legendary dogs, and my best human friend, Keith. They were all shot down, and now Oblivia has fallen. Oh Arceus, they're all gone! They're…all…gone…

I don't know how long we sat there crying, but finally the younger guy says, "Listen, Nurse Joy has just come to check on Latias. We need to take her away for a bit."

I whimper slightly but let her go. I called her to fight; it's my fault that she's hurt. The least I can do is let her heal her wounds. Her familiar but sad eyes comfort me slightly as she leaves me. The old guy clears his throat when she's gone.

"Hello, I'm Professor Oak of Pallet Town. Would you mind giving me your name?"

Professor Oak? THE world Famous Professor Oak of Pallet Town? I'm in Kanto right now?! I start to hyperventilate as I register what that means. Kanto is not anywhere near Oblivia! I'm far away from Oblivia with little hope of getting there unless I find a dragonite because staraptor don't live in Kanto! Then again...I failed Oblivia. How can I ever show my face there again? Perhaps I should start anew here in a new region...but I can't forget where I come from...

"W-Wendy. My name is Wendy," I finally reply, taking on the name of my deceased friend, honoring her in the only way I could at this point.

Professor Oak's eyebrows shoot up at my answer as if he didn't believe me, but he questions me further, "Well Wendy, how old are you, and where did you come from?"

I best not try my luck twice in a row; he's already suspicious, "I'm sixteen years old, and I live with my parents in Chicole Village, Almia."

"You're far away from home, Wendy," the professor remarks. "And Latias isn't normally found in Almia. Who are you really, young lady?"

What? The professor is as smart and observant as they say. The saw through my eyes with no effort at all! I didn't even stand a ghost of a chance.

"I'm...I'm...Top Ranger Kate. I was stationed in the Oblivia Region," I force out.

"Nice try. Top Ranger Kate died yesterday. Who are you?" the guy who MUST be Blue Oak, Professor Oak's grandson, sneers at me.

"I _am _Top Ranger Kate. I swear on my position in the Ranger Union."

"Quit lying to us!" Blue spits at me.

"Blue, she is telling us the truth. I have her styler right here," Professor Oak intervenes. "I simply wanted her to tell us herself."

I'm finally given my styler back, but it's totally busted with almost no hope of repairs. Elaine is the only person I know that could possibly even hope to fix this, but that would mean going to Almia. I-I don't think I can handle going back and seeing their disappointed faces. I was the last ranger in Oblivia, and I failed everyone by not staying until the end and letting it get destroyed. When I first got to the region, it was so beautiful…

"It's busted..." I remark sadly.

Professor Oak inspects my styler, "Well I don't suppose you have a way to fix it, Kate. I'll just have to see what I can do."

I sigh in frustration. Now what? I can't do anything without my styler. I... I have a duty to Oblivia, and as ashamed as I am right now, I have to go back and fight. Oh how useless can I possibly get? I can't do a damn thing without a stupid piece of metal!

Blue studies me for a moment before talking, "You really are Kate Summers, aren't you? Well, Kate, Gramps and our team of researchers don't have the foggiest idea on how stylers work. That privilege is reserved solely for Almia, Fiore, and Oblivia scientists since the other regions have more trainers than rangers. It'll be a while until you can do much of anything since rangers rely on their stylers so much."

I groan. He must be a mind reader.

"Unless..." I look up when he says that. He can help me get past being without a styler? He has to be a miracle worker. "Unless you become a trainer."

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Cherry: So you decide to update this after all?

Me: Not in the mood for this. I have a lot of writing to do here! (frantically types on computer) Just do the disclaimer

Cherry: Fine! I'll mess with you later! Sirius here does not, nor will she ever own pokemon.


	3. Chapter 3

A trainer? I have never even thought about being a trainer, not even when I was younger. My calling has always been being a ranger. I don't even really know the basics of being a trainer...But I can't just sit here. Purple Eyes isn't just going to be content with Oblivia. He will go after the other regions, and so far my only chance of stopping him is to start raising pokemon.

There's no real choice for me, "If you can get me a license, please do it, Blue."

He looks taken aback at the steeliness in my tone, but he agrees to get me a license. When he leaves my room, I slump back onto my bed. Let's review the facts. I have been pronounced dead, so the Ranger Union won't be looking for me any time soon. The Ranger Union will be trying to recover from the loss of six of their top rangers and the only area ranger in Oblivia.

Speaking of losses, I wonder how Cherry is handling everything. My partner pokemon that has been with me through thick and thin... Not having her around feels...weird. Her familiar warmth isn't here, and it makes me feel lonely and insecure. She would always cheer me up when I was upset and make me feel safe when we would go into dangerous situations. She is my best friend barring Keith and Rhythmi. If how I'm feeling is any indicator, Cherry must feel depressed right now; she doesn't have comfort of knowing that I'm alive. At least I know that there is a large chance that she out there now recovering from the entire incident.

I remember when I first met her...

_It was my One-Day Internship. Keith and I had been assigned to Vientown's base. Of course, the rangers *cough* Crawford *cough* had decided to play a prank on us, and we were tricked into delivering lunch. I didn't really mind; everyone was so nice and laid back that I couldn't help but forgive them. The entire afternoon was spent just hanging out, and I got to know all of the rangers pretty well. _

_"Help help! The pokemon on the beach are acting weird They're harassing my girlfriend!" of course the relaxation didn't last long. _

_The rangers flew down to Nabiki Beach with Keith and me following closely behind. When we arrived on the scene, we see the pokemon circling a young girl. The rangers and Keith set out to help the girl, but I was drawn to a cry coming from the sea. A pachirisu had been swept up by the waves and was starting to drown. _

_I jumped into the water without a second thought. The waves were rough, but the adrenaline pumping through my system helped me swim through them like nothing. When I reached the pachirisu, it had been pulled under, and I had to dive under the water to find it. _

_The first time I dove, I could only catch a glimpse of a white tail before I had to come up for air. For the first time since I saw the poor pokemon, I started to panic. What if I couldn't get to it in time? Forcing my panic and worry away, I dove in again. I just barely managed to grab the end of its tail before losing air. Lungs burning for air, I clawed my way to the surface. _

_"Kate! Where are you?!" Keith yelled in panic. _

_"Over here!" I called out. "Help! This pachirisu is in trouble!"_

_Luana, Crawford, and Barlow took the Pachirisu off my hands when I got to shore, and Keith helped me out of the water. That swim took a surprising amount of energy out of me, and Keith had to half carry me out of the water. I was set down next to the pachirisu. _

_"I think she is just tired. You got to her before she could drown, Kate," Barlow finally stated after looking the pachirisu over. _

_"Chi..." the pachirisu woke up and saw me. She bounded over me and curled up around my shoulders. "Chippa! Pachi chippa!"_

_"It looks likes she likes you!" Luna cooed. _

_Crawford sighed, "Chief, we left our lunch up on Breeze Hill."_

_Barlow laughs, "Well, I'd say that the students have been through enough today. You two rookies get back to the base; Luana, Crawford, and I will clean up the mess."_

_With that, Keith and I went back to Vientown to relax a bit, the pachirisu hanging into my shoulders. We didn't even realize that she was still with us until I went to go dry off! No matter what I did, she wouldn't let go of me, so I decided to let the rangers decide what to do with her. _

_When the rangers came back, they were shocked to see the pachirisu. No matter what we did, she didn't want to let go of me. When Keith decided to just pull her off of me, we both received a nasty shock. _

_"Well Kate, maybe we should call you Sparky!" Crawford joked. _

_Everyone groaned at Crawford's unfunny joke. They were his claim to fame around here, and it showed in the nicknames he gave people. _

_"Not helping Afro," I retort. _

_He chuckled but made no move to help me. Luckily, this ranger base had Elaine. She was their mechanic, and she could make and break anything. In her infinite genius, she had made an anti-pokeflute. She easily put the pachirisu to sleep and pried her off of me. _

_Finally, the time came for us students to leave. We bid farewell to the rangers and left for the school. _

_When Keith and I reached the bridge, we heard a, "Chippa!"_

_The pachirisu was back! She looked at me with watery eyes as she raced towards us. My heart twisted a bit at the sorrowful look on her little face. She climbed up into my shoulder and nuzzled her face in my neck._

_"Chippa!" she cried. "Chippa!"_

_"Oh pachirisu..." I sigh. "I'm not allowed to have a partner pokemon yet...but when I am, I'll find you. Okay? Just so you know I'm not lying, I'm giving you a name. How about Cherry?"_

_"Pa...chi?" Cherry sniffled. "Chippa! Chi-pachi!"_

_With that, she jumped off of my shoulder and ran away, stopping only to wave one last time. _

I sigh happily at the memory. The next year, Cherry found me and became my partner pokemon. I lie back on my bed and lose myself in the memories of one of my best friends.

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Cherry: …You disappoint me.

Me: You got an entire chapter that was practically dedicated to you! What more do you want? Don't answer that!

Cherry: This chapter is barely a thousand words!

Me: (slaps hand over Cherry's mouth) Hope you guys enjoyed. Don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 4

"Kate. Kate! KATE!" Blue yells as he shakes me.

"Huh?" I moan.

I open my eyes. Apparently, I had fallen asleep while reminiscing. I groan and stretch my limbs before finally sitting up. I shake my head to get rid of the cobwebs in there before turning my full attention to Blue.

"I got it."

I look at his outstretched hand in confusion for a moment. Then, I see the piece of plastic in his hand, and it hits me. That's my new trainer card; now I'm certified to train pokemon. I gingerly take my card out of his hand and look it over. How weird...all of this information is false.

"I decided that you tried to lie to us for a good reason. You'll be training your pokemon under a new identity; you are Wendy Evans, a sixteen year old trainer who got a late start," Blue explains seeing my confused expression.

I'm speechless for a moment before I launch myself into his arms, "Thank you so much! You have _no idea _how much this means to me! I...I don't think I'm ready to face anyone as Kate yet."

He froze for a moment before patting me in the back and laughing, "No problem. I figured you'd appreciate this. I even got Gramps to get a starter ready for you! I'd just give it to you, but Gramps wants to do the formal "new trainer thing." He is getting the starters ready now, so get ready!"

A small laugh bubbles out of my lips as I reply, "Okay, okay! I'm coming!" I get out of bed when I realize I'm still in my bloodied ranger clothes. "Ummm... Is there any way that I could get some regular clothing?"

"Oh! Uh, give me a minute," he said quickly before walking out of the room.

True to his word, a couple of minutes later he was back. This time, he has clothes. They're just a simple red tank top and jean shorts, but I don't need anything fancy. I'm a ranger for Mew's sake!

Thanking him quickly, I kick him out of the room so I can take a quick shower and change. The tank top fits pretty well, and I could make do with the shorts even though they are kind of loose. When my clothes are on, I look at my reflection in the mirror. My hair is down for some reason, but it hides my face well. I suppose that suits the whole incognito thing pretty well, so I just brush it out. I look like a completely different person without my trademark hairstyle and my ranger uniform, but I have little time to really digest that since Blue is practically knocking down my door telling me to hurry up.

I open up the door just as he begins to knock again. His face is comical as I stop his fist from hitting my head, "I'm done, Blue."

He quickly regains his composure and smirks, "It's about time. I thought that you would spend hours in there."

I sigh and turn back towards the room, "Well if you think I need more time..."

"No! No! You're fine! Let's go!"

He proceeds to drag me through the entire building, which I find out is Professor Oak's lab, before stopping at a large room with no doors. Inside there are a bunch of gadgets, books, and laptops, but the real prize is the three pokeballs on a table next to the professor. Gary leads me up to the professor before stepping back.

"Hello, _Wendy,_" Professor Oak begins. "I want to be the first to congratulate you for coming to the first of many milestones in your journey, your first pokemon. In these three pokeballs you will find one of three pokemon that have their own strengths and weaknesses. As a trainer, you will learn about your pokemon's strengths and weaknesses and how to bring out the full potential in each of them. Perhaps you will even be one of the few who earns the honor of becoming the champion. No matter what though, pokemon will always be at your side as long as you treat them with kindness and show them friendship. Without further adieu, let me introduce you to the three starter pokemon of Kanto!"

With a flash, three pokemon came out of their pokeballs. For a moment, I just look at them; I've never seen these types of pokemon in real life. They aren't native to any of the regions I've been assigned to. I inwardly contemplate on which one I should pick...as my...partner...

Unbidden, images from the day before unfold in my mind. I see Cherry leave the island for her own safety. I see Raikou staying to defend his home from the wild flames that fought to claim it. I see Suicune taking a hit meant for me and dying a painful death. I see Entei getting sliced in half for trying to avenge his sibling. I see Almia in flames.

...I don't deserve another partner. Every single pokemon that I've befriended has had to leave me in some way because I put them in danger! It's a wonder that Latias hasn't up and left yet! I fall to my knees sobbing. I don't deserve this kindness! I'm a terrible ranger! I'm a terrible friend! I-I don't deserve to even look at a pokemon after everything that's happened!

"Saur?"

A vine comes up to my eyes and wipes the tears away. I look up in surprise. The bulbasaur stands in front of me with eyes full of concern. It comes up to me and nuzzles my leg comfortingly, and I can't help but smile at its kindness. With trembling fingers, I reach over and stroke its head. It purrs contentedly, and I stifle a giggle. It's so cute...and it tried to comfort me when I broke down. I immediately make a decision that I'm not sure if I'll regret or not.

"Hey there buddy," I coo, "do you want to come with me?"

"Bulba? Bulbasaur!" it nods its head in affirmation.

I reach for my styler only to feel an empty space where it would usually be. Oh right, I'm doing this the trainer way. I pick up my newest friend and turn to the somewhat concerned Oaks.

"I choose bulbasaur!"

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OMG this story just reached 100 views thank you guys so much! Now if only half of you guys reviewed...


	5. Chapter 5

Even though he was surprised, Professor Oak is quick to respond with, "Ah bulbasaur! They are easy to train and quite loyal. He is quite a good choice for you, Wendy!"

I beam at the professor, "So he's a boy? Hmm...What should I call you?"

A million names flash through my mind, and I find it hard to pick just one. My mind briefly touches on the name Keith, but the crushing pain in my heart gives me the signal that I'm not ready for that quite yet. Maybe I should name him something that means something? No, I shouldn't be so cliché.

Finally, it clicks, "How about Jack? That's not too bad, right?"

"Saur!" Jack happily replies.

"It's a fine name for him, Wendy," Professor Oak chimes in.

"Then Jack it is!" I declare.

I smile lightly at Jack. Despite all that has happened, I can't help but feel a sense of peace wash over me knowing that I'll be working with pokemon again soon. Even if my pokemon go up against the Pinchers, even if we fight Purple eyes, I won't let a repeat of yesterday happen to them. Even though I don't have my team yet, I know that they will deserve better than that. I **will **protect them even if it costs me my life.

From the corner of my eye, I see Blue smirk and grab a pokeball. Before I could ask him what he's doing, a charmander pops out. Its green eyes remind me of Keith, and I have to turn away for a moment.

"Well Ka-Wendy, you don't know much about battling," Blue drawls. "Let me teach you with a battle."

Professor Oak is quick to reprimand him, "Blue! You have a lot more experience than she does! Even with that charmander, you are not giving her a fair fight!"

"No, it's okay!" I reassure. "I need the experience; Blue is just being nice. Besides, how different can a battle be from a pokeassist?"

Blue shrugs, "I've never seen one in action. You are just going to tell me when you lose!"

That competitiveness is so much like Keith's... No! This is supposed to be a happy moment; I have to shove these thoughts out of my head!

"Like I'm going to lose to you, Oak!"

Professor Oak gives a long, exasperated sigh, "Fine, but I am walking her through this, and this battle is taking place outside!"

Blue and I agree to the professor's wishes. We don't really have much of any other choice if we want our battle. The three of us move out to the open fields for my first ever battle. Blue and I face off on different sides of our makeshift battlefield. In a flash, we call out our pokemon.

"This is a one on one pokemon battle. The battle will be over when either side's pokemon are unable to battle!" Professor Oak calls out. "Wendy, pokemon battles are fought using one of a pokemon's four available moves. Simply shout a command to your pokemon, and they will follow it unless it's against their better judgment. That bulbasaur knows tackle which will inflict damage, and growl which will lower attack. Now...BEGIN!"

"Charmander, use leer!"

Shoot, that lowers defense, doesn't it?

"Jack, growl!"

"Quick Charmander! Use scratch!"

Just as Jack starts to growl, Charmander comes in close. There is no way he can dodge that, but a hit will put us behind! Didn't my textbook say that bulbasaurs are able to stand on hind legs?

"Jack, get on your hind legs quickly! Use your front legs to block the scratch!" I command.

If Jack was surprised, he didn't show it. He quickly balances himself on his hind legs and braces for the attack. It happens so fast that Charmander can't divert its own attack. The scratch attack bounces harmlessly off of Jack's leg.

"Before it can move away, hit it with a tackle!"

"Charmander, dodge then retaliate with scratch!"

Charmander skillfully dodges the tackle and lands a scratch right on Jack's side! Jack merely grunts as the charmander dances out if harm's way. I sigh. Perhaps the best way to do this is to get the attack stat low enough that those scratches barely feel like anything. I'll stop at around four.

"Jack, use growl once more!"

"That won't save you now! Scratch!"

"Side-step it! Growl!"

"Quick! Scratch with the other hand!"

I bite my lip. I only need another growl to finish my plan, but Jack's already taken a few hits. I should go on the offensive soon, but maybe I can fit one last growl...

"Jack! One more growl!"

"Hah! Scratch!"

"Run towards Charmander!"

"Use scratch...now!"

"Veer left! Now, use tackle from behind!"

"Charmander!"

"Jack, tackle again!"

"Dodge and use scratch, Charmander!"

"Jack can you get up? Jack!" I race over to Jack's prone form.

"Jack is unable to battle! Charmander wins!" Professor Oak declares.

I'm not listening to what's going on around me. I'm too busy fussing over Jack; it's too soon for me to not have a heart attack over seeing him hurt. Pictures of a bruised and burned Cherry flash through my mind. Then, unbidden, pictures of a battered, burned, weary, and defiant Raikou invade my head. Those pictures morph into memories of Suicune charging in front of me to take a fatal blow, and her charred body is in front of me once again. Suicune's corpse soon metamorphosed into the two halves of Entei's body, and finally, Latias's exhausted and beaten body lies in front of me.

"Wendy? Wendy? KATE!" Blue's voice brings me back to reality.

It takes me a moment to realize that I'm in Pallet town, not Renbow Island, and Jack is not Cherry, Suicune, Entei, Raikou, or Latias. Arms are wrapped around my shaking form, and for a moment I think their Keith's, and I think that my old friend found me. When I look up and see Blue's face instead of Keith's, I just break down completely. Keith is dead; I will _never_ see him again.

"Come on, Kate! Tell us what's wrong!" Blue urges.

"G-get away from me!" I cry out. "Please!"

Blue scrambles away from me, "Why? What did I do?"

"Y-you remind me...you remind me...my best friend!" I sob uncontrollably. "A-and he died because of that bastard! I-I'll kill him! I'll kill that bastard for hurting so many people I care about!"

Professor Oak crouches down so that he's looking at me at eye level, "Did something happen to your best friend during the Oblivia incident?"

I just nod before curling up into a ball and crying. Together the two Oaks help me back to the room I slept in before, and I cry myself to sleep.

* * *

…Yeah, she isn't over the trauma yet, and she won't be for a while. Her journey will begin soon, though. Hope you enjoyed and review!


	6. Chapter 6

_Fire. I'm trapped within the flames, and I feel them licking at my skin. I scream in pain. Suddenly, Purple Eyes is above me, taunting me. _

_"What a weak little ranger," he sneers. "She's all alone and can't do a thing to defend herself let alone the ones she loves."_

_All of a sudden, I'm surrounded by Ben, Summer, Rand, Keith, Wendy, Sven, Cherry, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. They all stare at me with such hate in their eyes. Wendy reaches forward and grabs me by the neck. Her grip is strong; I can't break out for the life of me. She throws me to the floor after a few seconds. Sven stares at me with disgust as he kicks me over and over again until I'm coughing up blood. Rand stands me up only to land a heavy blow on my face. Ben and Summer team up; they stand on my arms until there is an audible snap. The legendary dogs glare at me disdainfully before respectively hitting me with thunderbolt, ice beam, and flamethrower. _

_Keith's and Cherry's actions hurt the most. I could have handled it if they beat me within an inch of my life. I would have welcomed it if it saved me from the sight I'm witnessing now. They look at me with betrayal dancing in their eyes before turning around and leaving me. I want to open my eyes and scream for them to come back, to forgive me for leaving them, but no sounds come out of my mouth. _

_"How does it feel to know that your friends hate you? How does it feel to know that they want you dead? I bet you just want to _die_," Purple Eyes purrs. _

_In a flash of light, a dagger appears in my hand. I don't hesitate, and I plunge it into my heart. _

I wake up with a gasp, clutching my chest. Oh, it's all just a dream. I check the clock on the nightstand; it says that it's two o'clock in the morning. I slept the day away... It seems like that is all I've been doing lately.

I need to start being productive, and that starts today. I am not going to be some weak, sniveling damsel in distress! I am Top Ranger Kate Summers! It is time I start acting like it...But first I have a couple of apologies to make. I check the clock again, and it's barely three o'clock. I'll make those apologies later.

I decide to occupy my time by going outside. I don't want to bother anyone by waking them up; I've been bothersome enough. I hope I haven't been too much of a burden these past couple of days...

The air is cool and crisp; it's just what I need to clear my head after that nightmare. There are fields as far as the eye can see where some pokemon are sleeping, and I can't help but marvel at how peaceful and serene it looks. I gaze at the scene, and my imagination turns it into a fiery wasteland. The pokemon's pained cries echo in my head, and charred corpses litter the floor.

No! No! I shake head vigorously to dispel the images in my head. These pokemon don't deserve that fate, and I can't let it come to that. Letting Oblivia burn was a mistake, a terrible mistake, but a mistake, and I won't let myself make it twice. No one else is going to die if I have a say in it! I may not be crazy about being a trainer, but I'm not in it for glory. My team and I will be protectors, and when we're strong enough, we will end the Pinchers.

The sun rises, and the sky is painted with brilliant hues of orange and pink. I silently strengthen my resolve to become a trainer and grow stronger with them as I bathe in its golden light. Hopefully, Kanto's sunrise will never paint the skies blood red like I saw during my last few days in Oblivia.

* * *

Cherry: This chapter...is the shortest thing you've ever written for Pokemon.

Me:…I am

Cherry: And you're leaving for the week

Me: I am

Cherry: You leave them with this?!

Me: Well I've been playing around with descriptions and imagery and the like. What do you think?

Cherry: ...Why don't I let the reviewers tell you instead?

Me: ...Yeah well read and review. I hope you guys enjoyed.

Cherry: Are you forgetting something?

Me: I own nothing but the plot...but unfortunately I do own Cherry.

Cherry: (thunderbolt)


	7. Chapter 7

"Kate? Now what are you doing out here at such an early hour?" Professor Oak queries as he makes his way outside to where I'm sitting.

"I...didn't have the best night. What about you, Professor? Do you get up early every morning?" I reply truthfully. That man can tell a lie from a mile away.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he chuckles. "The early morning air does wonders for my research if you ask me. It gives me a fresh mind!"

I smile at the old man's enthusiasm. He really does love his work; perhaps that's why he is so successful. I loved being a ranger with all I had, and I got promoted to Top Ranger status in under a year which was practically unheard of at the time with the exception of...Keith. Ugh. I need to stop thinking about the past for a little while; maybe that will help me feel better about...recent events.

"Erm...Professor Oak? Could you take me to Jack and...Latias please?" I ask.

The professor happily acquiesces. He leads me through his labyrinth of a laboratory until we go into a room with a glass wall. There are a few pokemon in there like the other two starters, but my eyes immediately lock on Jack and Latias. Jack immediately bounds up to me and looks up at me worriedly as he nuzzles my leg.

"I'm sorry about worrying you, Jack. You were the one who was injured, and I freaked out. I...will try to make sure it doesn't happen again," I apologize lowly.

"Saur! Bulb! Bulba-saur!" he says in an annoyed tone.

"I don't think that he wants an apology. He probably just wants to make sure you're alright," Professor Oak chimes in from the doorway. "It's not your fault that you are still traumatized by the recent events."

"Eh? Jack, I promise that I'm fine. I've...just gone through some bad things lately. How about Latias and I tell you everything?" I offer.

Jack and I walk over to where Latias is laying down, and I finally take in the extent of her injuries. Her body is littered with burns and bruises. One of her wings is wrapped up; it's probably sprained since I don't remember ever seeing it bent at an odd angle. One of her arms is in a cast. I'm going to guess that the arm is broken just because I don't remember the condition of either of her arms during the battle. I...I didn't notice any of those injuries the other day. Some friend I am...

I stroke her head softly as I begin to tell my story. I start with my days at the Ranger School and end with the final battle for Oblivia. Jack looks horrified at the end of my tale, and I turn my head away to avoid his gaze. Suddenly, I feel the grass type tackle me in a hug. He doesn't make a sound; he just stays still for a bit. A smile tugs at my lips, and I pick him up to reciprocate the hug. Then, I feel a psychic energy pulling me to Latias. I give her a knowing smile and snuggle into her side while being mindful of her injuries.

As I cuddle with the two pokemon, an immense feeling of warmth and belonging washes over me. For the first time it what feels like forever, I feel safe. These two are so amazing to me; despite everything, they're still with me. I can never even begin to show my gratitude for that. I just hope that one day they know how important they are to me. Latias has stuck with me ever since I solved that bizarre puzzle of hers in Oblivia. She became my go-to for flying, and we got close because of it. She listens to my problems whenever I have them, and she makes me feel better. Of all the legends that I've ever encountered, she's the one I ever became really close friends with. Jack...is different. He was the only starter that came up to me when I broke down, and I immediately bonded with him. It's like how I felt with Cherry; I just became attached to him in a short amount of time. In that short amount of time, he's shown that he is a great friend. He comforts me when I need him to and genuinely worries for me. I can't ask for more.

The peaceful moment is ruined by my stomach growling. Jack and Latias start to chuckle until their own stomachs growl. Then, all of us start laughing. We must have been cuddling for a while to get so hungry, and none of us even noticed!

"I think it's time to get some breakfast, you two," I giggle. "Latias, do you want us to bring you something, or do you want to come with us?"

Latias's eyes took on a determined glint, and then they glow a light blue indicating that she is using her psychic powers. Her body slowly levitates off the ground before gliding over to me. She smiles triumphantly at me, and I giggle. She's a crafty one.

"Fine, use your powers, but I'm asking Professor Oak for a better option later. You can't use up all of your energy like that," I inform her.

She shrugs before her voice echoes in my head, "Fine."

I jump a bit, "Latias! You know better than to use telepathy when I am not prepared for it!"

"Sorry," she giggles, "but it's fun!"

I grumble but lead the two pokemon out of the room. I take a wild guess and go right, but Jack uses a vine to grab my hand and pull me in the opposite direction. Suddenly, he takes off at a run, dragging me. I stumble after him before colliding with a wall. A...laughing wall?

Blue starts to say something, but he closes his mouth just as he's about to say it. A just stare at him blankly. I know that I should apologize for the other day, but the words don't come out. Finally, Blue just sidesteps me. He's about to walk past me when I grab his arm; he looks at me in surprise.

"Listen, Blue," I sigh, "I'm...sorry about yesterday. I was...emotional and irrational."

Blue stares at me in disbelief for a moment, "Kate, your _best friend _just died; you're allowed to cry. You haven't even had much of a chance to mourn yet."

I look up at him. He is completely right; it's only been a few days. Still, he deserved an apology; I really shouldn't have pushed him away. He definitely doesn't want one though. After a moment, I settle for giving a hug.

"Huh? What are you doing?" he asks confusedly.

I roll my eyes, "You wouldn't have accepted an apology, so I decided to give you a hug."

Then, I see a smug Jack standing off to the side. Latias levitates beside him with something akin to a smirk.

Latias's "voice" echoes through my head, "First you run into him; now you're hugging him? You move fast."

"Shut up, Latias," I laugh. "Besides, do I need to remind you of the time when you-"

"No! I'll stop!" Latias exclaims nervously.

Blue looks at me confusedly, "Latias-"

"-can use telepathy," I explain.

Blue looks excited, and he starts shooting off questions. I'm quickly overwhelmed, but then I get an idea. Smirking to myself, I glance at Jack and Latias.

"Hey, Blue. Why don't you take this chance to have Latias translate for other pokemon? I think she and Jack would love to answer all of your questions."

Jack and Latias glare at me when Blue turns to them. I laugh at their predicament. Even when we are eating breakfast, Blue doesn't let up with the questions. He even gets out some of his team to talk to them with Latias translating. Finally, I get him to lay off the questions because Latias was starting to look drained. We both help her back to the room I found her in with Jack going ahead to clear up the floor and open the door.

"So," Blue says, "when are you going to start your journey?"

* * *

Hey guys! I had a great week at the beach, but man it's good to back in the land of Wi-Fi! Anyway, I have a question for you guys based off of a review from krikanalo. What do you guys think of my writer's voice? In a review, could you guys pick three words to describe my writing? I would appreciate the feedback because none of my friends are big readers, so they won't read my work. I'm not getting their opinions any time soon…Also, to those of you who think that I'm replacing the rangers, wait a bit. Blue is less of a jerk than usual, but he can't replace all of Kate's friends. Just wait and see how this all turns out. ;). Also, guys, I had a huge surge of inspiration during my week off. It's just for a whole new story entirely…This raises a bit of a dilemma. I'm already juggling two stories, and school is just around the corner. Should I act on my inspiration or wait until I'm farther along my stories and almost done with at least one of them? I have (a lot of) notes, so I won't forget my story, but the plot bunny is running around my head. I'll leave the decision to you guys. If you want to know the basis of the story before making a decision, just pm me. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Review, and don't forget to answer the questions I asked. I really want your input. Even if you're just a lurker, please just take a few seconds to leave your opinion. Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

My journey? Oh, right; I'm a trainer now. I won't be able to capture new pokemon and get stronger if I stay at Oak's lab. I wring my hands nervously. If I leave, I'll probably have to leave Latias behind. Having a legendary on my team would definitely make me noticeable, and Latias is still in no condition to fight. She needs to use her psychic abilities to fly rather than easily levitating without them. There is no way she can come with me right now, but I'm not sure if I can leave her yet. She is the only one I have left. All of the top rangers that I've worked with are dead, and the pokemon that I've befriended are either in a completely different region or dead besides her and Jack. Even if I make new friends, there would be a certain loneliness without her around.

No! I can't be so selfish. Latias needs to stay here to heal, and I need to concentrate on raising my pokemon and becoming stronger. There is no fighting the fact that I have a duty to prevent Purple Eyes from conquering other regions and free what's left of Oblivia. That has to come before anything else...even my own feelings. As it is, I've wasted too much time here; I really should get going. I'll just...stay for one more day to prepare. Yeah, that is the only reason I'm staying for the rest of the day.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," I confirm.

Blue looks a bit surprised, "Really? So soon? What about Latias? She won't be ready to travel anytime soon, let alone battle."

I look away from his face as I say, "Well, I guess I'll just be taking Jack with me then. I'm sure that she'll be well taken care of here."

"Oh really?" Blue challenges me. "Maybe she'll go back to Oblivia then."

My heart skips a beat. Latias wouldn't do that!

"She wouldn't dare! Latias has more common sense than that, and she knows that I would never let her go!" I snarl.

Blue taunts, "Latias is almost never seen without her brother, right? She must have left him back in Oblivia to bring you here; I bet she misses him and wants to find him. I wouldn't put it past her to up and leave the moment you aren't here to tie her down."

My heart leaps into my throat, and I suddenly find it hard to breathe. It is entirely possible that she would want to find her brother; he is her entire world. The thing is, he was with Summer. There is a very real possibility that he is dead too. If Latias found out...

"I...what do you want me to do?" I sigh. "You said it yourself the other day. I am useless without a styler, and I need to be able to do _something! _I'm the ranger who abandoned Oblivia...I have to do something about that! Sven, Wendy, Summer, Ben, Rand...Keith...they all died protecting Oblivia. It'd be an insult to their memory if I just sat around and did nothing. Plus, I have a duty to Oblivia, and I can't abandon it. I need to start my journey. I need to do...something. Anything!"

Blue grows quiet. I sigh and put my head in my hands while trying to hide my growing frustration. I have a duty as a ranger, and I can't let my emotions get in the way here! I was ready to say my goodbyes and go, but Blue just had to go and make me doubt myself again. Now, I don't know what to do! I wish I had someone, anyone, who could guide me. My mind goes to two particular rangers when I think of that. Wendy and Sven were the two people I would go to when I needed advice. They were never as unapproachable as Erma or Hastings, and their advice tended to be what I needed to hear.

Sven would always say that I have to finish my mission. He was always very serious about his duty as a ranger despite the fact that he was quite the prankster when off-duty. He would always keep me on track when we went off on missions or patrolling together, and those were the days that I got the most quests done. He wouldn't be any different now. Work comes first; I can fully grieve my friends and worry about Latias later.

Wendy, on the other hand would say that I should worry about Latias now and training later. She has always worried about individual pokemon before a mission. That is actually why her partner pokemon is a staraptor. She was on a quest where she had to find a woman's combee, but she saw a starly having trouble getting back into its nest. She completely forgot about her mission to find the combee, and she went to tend to the starly. Not only did she get the starly back into its nest; she also got materials to make its nest more comfortable, gave it food, and out enough food in its nest to last it a week. Next thing she knew, that starly began following her around until she decided to make it her partner pokemon. They've been together ever since.

I groan. This isn't helping me at all! The fact that Wendy and Sven have such different priorities is why they were partners; they balanced each other out making a perfect team. Of course they would give me very different advice! Honestly, what was I thinking? All it's doing is making me miss them all the more! Yet...there is one person I haven't tried...Keith.

Keith has always told me that my intuition is usually all I need. He says I'm second to only him which really means I'm actually better than him, but he won't admit it. It's really the highest compliment he ever gives out.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. It's time to put that intuition to use. The best possible solution here would have to be...to leave Latias behind until she's better. Then, if she wants, we can travel together. I'll check up on her at each pokemon center and keep her updated. So far, I've been sitting on my ass doing nothing, and I have to remedy that. Checking on her often will help me keep my peace of mind while I get my job done. I'll make sure to keep a spot on my team for her.

"What if I check up on her often, Blue? I need to do my job, and I can't do it by sitting on my ass. You have to realize that and stop messing with my head," I finally whisper.

"...Fine. I don't approve of you leaving her when she needs you, though."

I smile. As long as he doesn't guilt-trip me, I'm fine. Now...I just need to get up the courage to leave. Well, I will cross that bridge when I get there. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my time.

I spend the rest of the day playing and relaxing with Jack and Latias.

* * *

Thank you to all of my lovely reviewers who gave their opinions. I've decided to wait until my current stories are further along to start that new story. Any opinions about my voice are still appreciated to those who haven't given it yet. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed, and please review.

Cherry:…


	9. Chapter 9

"Bye, Latias," I sniffle. "You be a good girl for Professor Oak, okay? I don't want to hear about any trouble when I check in!"

"Okay," Latias's somber voice echoes in my head. "Just promise that you'll come back for me when I'm better!"

I wrap my arms around her neck tightly, "I promise!"

"Okay...I'll miss you..."

"I'll miss you too..."

I stare at my closest friend sadly. Even though I have to leave, it's hard to do so knowing that I'm leaving her behind. Finally, I step out of our hug and give her a small, sad wave while Jack says something to her. Their eyes meet for a moment before they nod at each other. Then, a vine comes out of the bulb on Jack's back, wraps around my hand, and starts pulling me away from Latias. I take a deep breath and turn away from her. It takes every ounce of willpower in my body to not look back as we walk out of the room that will be her home for the next month or so.

Jack steers me through the labyrinth that is Oak's lab as I try not to cry and run back to Latias. Her absence makes my heart even heavier that it was before; I had thought that was impossible with the deaths of my friends creating such a pressure that I thought the world was pressing down on it full force. Now, it's like all of the planets are joining in for the fun of it, and I'm staggering under all of its weight. I haven't even left the building yet for Arceus's sake!

I pull my hand out of Jack's vine and attempt to go back to Latias. I can't...I can't leave! I can't leave Latias behind. I need her! I need to stay!

Two green vines wrap around my legs and trip me in an attempt to keep me from running away and getting back to Latias. I fall to the ground, but that doesn't deter me. I kick and thrash in an attempt to shake off the vines. When that fails, I try to crawl, but Jack is having none of that nonsense. One of the vines wrapped around my legs moves to bind my arms, and I'm rendered immobile. After a minute or so, I just stop squirming. He has me bound a smidgeon on the tight side. Even Barlow can't escape from being bound that tight. There is just no possible way I can wiggle out; I have to wait him out.

"Bulba! Bulba-saur!" Jack yells out.

I just assume that he's talking to me, but I'm proven wrong when I see a little charmander lope over here. The two pokemon have a short conversation before the charmander starts running back from where it came. A small part of my brain wonders what they spoke about, but a bigger part is concerned only with plotting how to find Latias without Jack stopping me. First things first, I have to get Jack to let go of me.

"Saur."

It turns out that I don't have to wait too long because he suddenly loosens his hold on me. I take my chance and dash out of his reach...right into someone else's. Strong arms wrap around me, and I struggle to get out. Arceus damn it! I'm a ranger who had to undergo physical training to get to where I was before this week. I should be able to break free! The rational part of my mind says that I have to calm down and fight smartly, but the emotions running rampant in my body quickly stamp out that small part of my mind in an instant.

"Where do you think you're going?" Blue's voice has an accusing tone in it.

"Can't do this...I can't do this! I can't leave her...it's too hard!" I mumble just barely coherent.

Blue sighs in exasperation and sweeps me up into his arms. I barely notice; I just keep mumbling that I can't do this. It's true...I really can't. If I leave Latias, I lose everyone. I lose Cherry, Wendy, Sven, Isaac, Rhythmi, Keith...everyone. It's like I'm leaving my old life behind and just pretending it never existed by leaving her. I can't do that. I can't afford to forget everything. They're too important for me to do that, especially Cherry, Rhythmi, Latias herself, and...and Keith. E-especially Keith. He was my partner in crime...

Blue finally sets me down outside. I've lost the strength to do anything, let alone get up, so I just hug my knees to my chest and stare blankly in front of me.

"Talk," Blue commands, but I say nothing. He tries again, "Say something, anything. You look dead right now, and Jack looks worried out of his mind!"

Jack? Jack! I completely forgot about him! My gaze snaps to the grass type, and I want to slap myself. He looks absolutely beside himself with worry. That was caused by me; wasn't it? How selfish am I being? I've been concerned only for myself this entire time while Jack has been upset because of my behavior. I am really not starting out too great as a trainer, and if I was still considered a ranger, I'd be considered atrocious!

"I'm sorry, Jack..." I say as I draw him into a hug. Jack snuggles up to me for a second before returning himself to his pokeball.

"You have to stop apologizing!" Blue groans. "I haven't heard anything but apologies from you this entire time you've been here! It's time to stop talking and start doing; otherwise those apologies mean nothing."

"I'm...I know...You're right," I sigh.

"Of course I'm right," he smirked. "But that's beside the point. I'm going with you on your journey so that we don't have another episode like _that._"

"You...are?"

* * *

Hello my lovely readers! Guess what? This story broke 500 views (more like 550)! I was thinking about putting in a bonus chapter or a Q&A to celebrate. The bonus chapter would just kind of go into Kate's first day at ranger school because I kind of miss Keith too. :p So which idea do you guys like more? Remember, if you want the Q&A, I need a ton of questions to make it work.

Cherry: Sirius! You are behind on your writing; you have to get back to work!

…She's right for once. I might be updating the next chapter late because I don't currently have much of the next chapter planned out yet. I still want to do the bonus thing to celebrate the 500 views though!

Cherry: Then you have to work overtime!

AHHHHHHHHHHH(goes insane)

Cherry: Don't forget to review!


	10. Chapter 10

"Yeah. I'm going to accompany you whenever I have the chance. Sometimes I'll travel with you; sometimes I'll have to do something else for a bit somewhere and leave for a day or so," Blue shrugs.

"And what if I don't want your company?" I challenge him playfully. Traveling with him might be fun. I really don't mind him deciding accompany me, but that doesn't mean I can't play around.

Blue laughs before putting on a semi-serious face, "Too bad. Gramps thinks that you might need someone around too, so you can't get out of it. You are stuck with me forever!"

"Damn. That's too bad!" I say with mock sadness. "I guess I'll just have to sacrifice you to the pokemon then."

"Who says that you can take me? You're a twig; I would sooner feed _you _to the pokemon," he responds playfully.

"Oh yeah? Two words. Ranger. Training. If that doesn't whip you into shape, nothing will."

"Pfft. Yeah right."

I sigh with mock exasperation, "Name a time and place. We'll see who can win in a fight."

"I'm not going to fight a girl."

"Chicken?"

"In your dreams."

"My dreams must be reality then," I smirk.

"I'll take you seriously when you can beat me in a pokemon battle." Blue chuckles. "You couldn't even beat me when I didn't have any of my own pokemon on me. You know what? I think I'll battle you when you have seven badges."

I laugh, "What? Not eight?"

Blue smiles mischievously, "Nah. You'll be out of my league by then."

Out of his league? I wonder what he means by that. Maybe he took the gym challenge and quit after beating the seventh gym, or maybe he trained under the leader of the eighth gym. I'd ask, but Blue would probably just talk in riddles. I'm really not in the mood for more of those, so I get up and start walking away.

"Where are you going?" Blue asks.

"Well," I drawl, "we need to leave Pallet Town to start our journey, don't we?"

With that, we step out of Pallet Town and onto Route One. I can't help but look around me in amazement. Almia and Oblivia look nothing like this. Fiore is sometimes compared to Kanto, but that is the only region (that is under the Ranger Union) that is close to Kanto in terms of pokemon and scenery. It's a shame that my only experience in Fiore is a year or so living in Fall City. I never left the city's reaches; I have no real idea what the region is like. Thankfully, some of the pokemon look familiar.

I immediately release Jack who takes in our surroundings with an air of indifference. I guess he's probably seen the area around Pallet Town more times than he could count, so it's probably not as exciting for him.

"Squawk!"

I immediately whip my head around and see a pidgey flying in pursuit of a rattata. After a moment, the pidgey ceases its chase and simply lets out another loud "Sqwawk!"

Blue nudges me, "Look, it's a pidgey. You should battle it and try to catch it."

I nod in understanding, "Right. Jack, use tackle!"

Jack responds by charging at the flying type just as it lands on the ground. It is knocked back several feet, but otherwise, it's unharmed. The pidgey immediately flies back up and attacks Jack back. After ordering Jack to tackle it again, the pidgey finally falls.

"Now throw a pokeball at it!"

My fingers brush over my pokeball belt where there should be several empty pokeballs that I could use, and I don't feel anything. When I look, I'm surprised by the fact that I don't have pokeballs. Did I forget to ask Prof. Oak for some? Apparently, I did.

"What are you waiting for?" Blue asks incredulously.

I chuckle sheepishly, "Well, you see...I don't have any pokeballs..."

I hear an audible smack as Blue face palms. I don't need to look at him to know that he is bemoaning the fact that we didn't even remember to bring pokeballs. Well, I forgot to bring pokeballs; he has a team of pokemon already no doubt. He probably doesn't need to catch pokemon anymore, so he probably doesn't need pokeballs.

"We might as well go to Viridian City. It's not too far of a walk from Pallet, and I don't think it'd be too wise to go back to Pallet," he finally sighs out.

I shrug. That sounds good to me. It doesn't really matter to me that I won't be getting a new pokemon any time soon because I don't really need any more at the moment. Plus...explaining everything that's happened so far wouldn't exactly be the highlight of day. Right now, all I have is Jack, and that is really okay.

For a while, Blue and I travel in a companionable silence. Even though this particular route isn't home to many pokemon and is pretty generic according to Blue, I still find myself staring around in amazement. I suppose I really should have worked in more than just two regions that can be very similar to each other at some points. I know for a fact that Murph worked in Fiore before going to Almia to work for the Union. Since then, he's made trips to both Oblivia and Sinnoh to perform certain PR duties. Sven and Wendy had been all over the place. Wendy often recounted tales of the different regions they had been to; oftentimes, the duo had to travel far to follow leads on illegal activities. They even went as far as Unova when reports of poaching in the nature reserve arose. Even Keith, who had been at the job as long as I have, has been to Fiore, Almia, and Johto! He...would've gotten to Oblivia too if Purple Eyes and Mewtwo hadn't...

Keith...I miss you so much. It's not fair that you aren't around anymore...You were always there for me when I needed it, and you were the best friend anyone could possibly ask for. Sure, you were competitive, but that only made us that much better because we were always trying to outdo each other. Ever since you beat me in that stupid competition when we were in school, I've strived to be better than you...I still don't think I've accomplished that yet. I may have been the hero of Almia, but I can't ever forget that you were the one that got me there. You were the one who made me push myself to be the very best. You were the one who helped me up when I was down. You were the one who was my rock. You...were the one who saved my life. I would never admit it aloud, but nothing I could ever do or say will make up for that. And...Silly as it is, I was so glad that _you _were the one who saved me. For the longest time, I had the biggest crush on you, and I never thought to tell you. Was there ever really a time? Almost immediately after Operation Brighton, you were off to Johto to handle the black market in Goldenrod, and then, problems started brewing in Oblivia. I never had the time, and now there is none. Now, I wish I had made the time. Whether you liked me back or not, knowing what you felt would be nice...

"So..." Blue snaps me out of my trance.

"Yeah?!" I chirp trying to keep the mood my thoughts put me in covered up.

"I was just wondering about Jack..."

I immediately panic, "What about him? Is he okay? Where is he?"

"Saur!"

Oh...Jack is right next to me. In my defense, finding a grass pokemon in an area full of grass is not easy! Let me panic in peace!

"I was just wondering why you named him," Blue continues. "While it's not extremely rare, it's not exactly common."

"Really?" I ask. "Well, for rangers, naming your partner pokemon is practically an unofficial rule! I still remember the scandalized look my base leader had on his face when I told him I didn't name mine. Needless to say, I named her within the next minute." I chuckle at the memory. Oh Barlow..."So did you name any of yours?"

"No, not really. I never really thought of doing it," Blue replies honestly. "Plus, I don't want to give my pokemon a name that's clichéd like Flame. Now that I think about it, I'm probably saving my pokemon by not naming them."

Hmm...Now that begs the question, should I nickname all my pokemon? Apparently it's not common, and I do want to fit in...Drawing attention to myself is definitely not the way to stay under the radar. I guess that settles it; I'm not naming any of my other pokemon. If anyone asks, Jack was given a name because he's my starter.

Suddenly, I see buildings peaking over the treetops up ahead. Skyscrapers? At least, I think they're skyscrapers. Is there a set amount of floors that a building needs to be classified as a skyscraper? I'm not exactly sure...

"Kate- I mean Wendy," Blue grins, "welcome to Viridian City."

I guess it's time to put my new alias to use.

* * *

And the votes are in…Most people wanted an extra chapter, but I did get a few questions from Eeveeleah that my characters are happy to answer here.

1. What pokemon are you planning on Kate catching?

Kate: I don't really know what pokemon I want to catch, but I know that my team needs to be balanced. I don't think I'll catch more than my first six though…

Me: In other words, that is a spoiler-y question that shall be answered as the story goes on.

2. Are the Pinchers going to bother Kate on her journey?

Kate: I don't think the Pinchers even know I'm alive…I don't think they'll be bothering me. Besides, with Mewtwo and the Golden Armor, they'll probably be focusing on world domination or something like that.

3. Is there going to be a Kate/Blue romance?

Blue: Even though she won't admit it, I think Kate is hung up on that Keith guy. She is the only one of her friends that I know of, and she gets this…look when she talks about him. I don't think she'll be over him for a while, and I'm not going to be her rebound. Besides, I don't really like her like that right now. She kind of reminds me of Daisy…

Me: In other words, I'm not sure yet. I'm a Keith/Kate shipper. I'm not going to lie. Blue/Kate might be interesting and probably the first of its kind. I'm still thinking it over.

Also, just to clear up any confusion, this is game!Blue. Anyway, that extra chapter will be posted next week. So far, it's pretty long, so I might break it up into two chapters. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and review to tell me what you thought. Until next week!


	11. Extra: Kate's First Day at Ranger School

Ranger School-First Day

The giant gates beckon me. Anticipation wells up in my body. I can't believe it; I'm finally here. I'm finally attending Ranger Academy! Joel had told me that I'm going to make my lifetime friends and rivals here, and I absolutely can't wait. Joel, Spenser, Elita, and Cameron, the base leaders of Fiore, once walked these halls, and now it's my turn.

I was never actually that close to the rangers, but I would always have a quest handy whenever patrols were going on. Sometimes I'd have them bring a pokemon to me, show me how to do a capture, or I'd usually just ask them questions about being a ranger. That nice ranger from Ringtown, Lunick, actually sent in a special request to get me into this school when I told him how I want to become a ranger one day despite the fact that the term already started. I owe him everything for doing that. The day I left, I went to thank him one last time before going. Luckily, he was in Fall City and I got a bit of advice from the graduates:

_"You're going to make friends and rivals that last a lifetime. When you find that rival, make sure you beat them soundly like I always do to mine."_

_"Like, don't forget to relax with your friends. Ranger life is hard and demanding; you'll never know when you'll get a break. Get a boyfriend too while your at it."_

_"Make sure your nice to the soon-to-be mechanics and operators. They'll make life easier for you; I promise."_

_"I was a special case, so I didn't go to the school. Let me tell you though, being a ranger will be worth it."_

I smile as I remember that last bit of advice. There is no doubt in my mind that becoming a ranger will be worth every sleepless night, test, study session, and whatever else this school will throw at me. The Ranger Academy is my ticket to my dream job. It's now or never!

Suddenly, the gate opens, and a voice calls out, "Hello? You're the new student, aren't you?"

A woman in her early twenties approaches me with a warm expression on her face. This must be Ms. April! The acceptance letter stated that she would be my teacher for the next couple of years in this school. I really hope that she's a good teacher; otherwise my chances of being a good ranger will go down by miles. The way she carries herself gives me the impression of someone who has plenty of experience in their career, and I take that as a good sign.

Finally, she makes it to where I am. She quickly gives me the rundown of my schedule today, "Hello, Kate. I'm Ms. April, your new teacher. I'm going to guide you to where you will take your entrance exam. Please don't worry about it; you'll be accepted even if you don't get it on your first try. After that, I'll take you to class, and you will introduce yourself to your classmates. Then, I'll appoint someone to give you a tour of the school. After your tour, you are free to do whatever you wish."

"Thank you, Ms. April," I thank her politely.

Ms. April smiles genuinely before guiding me to take my entrance exam. She gives me a student styler before ushering me inside. I don't even have the time to marvel at the styler! She introduces me to Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Claire quickly before leaving to check up on her class. They, for lack of better words, teach the physical aspects of being a ranger. In other words, they're gym teachers.

"Okay, Kate," Mr. Kaplan announces in a creepy voice. "You have to capture one of the most dangerous pokemon in the-"

Ms. Claire interrupts him with a loud smack. "Don't scare the poor girl! She's only thirteen; I doubt she needs a heart attack!"

"Fine!" Mr. Kaplan groans. "You just need to capture the pikachu. Don't be afraid to ask for help."

A pikachu bounds over to me with a friendly grin on its face. I have to keep myself from squealing; my first ever catch is going to be a pikachu! I always saw them running around my apartment building in Fall City, and sometimes I would play with them. I couldn't ask for a better first capture if I tried! I hold up the student styler that Ms. April gave and copy the exact form that I've seen most rangers use at the beginning of capture.

"Capture on!" I whisper with barely concealed excitement.

The capture disk flies out of its little compartment at the top of the styler, and it races to the pikachu. An antenna pops out of my styler to control the disk. I utilize it immediately and start encircling the pikachu with wide loops. The pikachu watches me with mild interest, and I lock eyes with it. Before I know it, the loops surrounding the pikachu turn orange, and I'm yelling, "Capture complete!"

Mr. Kaplan claps slowly, "Congratulations, Kate. You only took a couple of minutes to capture the pikachu, an exemplary performance. Now you are a part of our academy, and together we will take over the-"

He's interrupted by another slap from Ms. Claire. She gives him a warning glare, and he sighs sadly. Not two seconds later, Ms. April walks into the building and asks if I'm done with the exam yet. Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Claire release me, and I'm ushered into the main school building. The school seems to really only have two main classrooms, but maybe that's my imagination. Ms. April leads me to the classroom on the left side of the hallway. She motions for me to stay outside until I'm called in; it's probably to build up some type of drama or anticipation.

After a minute or so, I see Ms. April gesture through the window. I take that as my cue to walk in. All of the students' eyes follow me as I walk to the front of the room, and it unnerves me a bit. I try to shrug off the feeling, but I'm not really all that successful. Heat rises to my cheeks unbidden at all of the attention, and it only gets worse when Ms. April asks me to say something about myself.

"W-well," I stutter out. Shoot! This isn't going too well for me so far; I'm stuttering like a broken record! I better wrap this up quickly. "My name is K-Kate, a-and I'm from Fiore. I came here to become a ranger."

Someone to my left snickers the moment I say "ranger." When I glance over, I see a smug-looking redhead analyzing me. He looks me up and down as if sizing me up before smirking. What's that supposed to mean? Deciding that I don't like that look on his face at all, I throw a glare his way. The entire exchange is happens in a span of literally two seconds, and it doesn't seem like anyone really noticed it.

"Keith, what's with that big grin on your face?"

Maybe someone did.

Apparently deciding to move on, Ms. April clears her throat, "Anyway, Kate, please take a seat next to Keith. He's the one to the far left of the room."

Great. I've got Mr. Smirk as a desk partner. Woop-de-doo. I really wish there was another empty seat, but unfortunately, this class is packed. Sighing inwardly, I trudge over to my new seat and pointedly ignore my neighbor.

When I sit down, Ms. April continues, "Okay class. There is going to be no more of this new-student attitude; from now on, you are all my students who I take great pride in. Since today is a special occasion, we are going to have the rest of the day as a huge study hall period. Considering that there will be a quiz on quests in a few days, I recommend using this time to study." A blonde girl towards the back raises her hand. "Yes, Rhythmi?"

"I've been studying for this quiz all week, so maybe I could show Kate around?" Rhythmi asks boldly.

"Of course. Without further adieu, class dismissed!" with that, Ms. April leaves the room.

Immediately, I'm surrounded by curious students. They call out questions that I can barely hear over others' questions, and before long, I feel a massive headache coming on. Finally, a voice climbs over the rest.

"Hey! Give her some room to breathe!"

I look up at my savior, the blonde girl named Rhythmi. When I lift my head, she takes it as a cue to grab my wrist and drag me out of the classroom. Thankfully, the mob doesn't follow us out, and we are safe.

"Thanks!" I finally sigh out. "That was..."

"Insane?" she supplies helpfully.

"Yeah. Insane..."

"Hey, what's-your-name! How long did it take you to capture that pikachu? An hour?" a guy says from behind us.

I whip around to find that same smirking redhead looking at me with an air of arrogance. Oh how I wish I could just wipe that smirk right off his face; maybe I could use a hammer!

"Two minutes!" I shot back. "You?"

If anything, his smirk grew wider, "A minute and a half."

"Dazzle, shut your trap!" Rhythmi buts in.

"Now now, Keller, it's not my fault I'm the best ranger student here," Keith says nonchalantly. "Skate here just can't compare."

Skate? Really? I clench my fists and bite the inside of my cheek to keep from throwing a tantrum. HE'S DOING IT ON PURPOSE THE PISS ME OFF! Apparently, Rhythmi agrees with me because she, once again, grabs hold of my arm and drags me away. For the second time today, I'm grateful to the helpful blonde.

"So now that we're away from Mr. I'm-a-big-shot, lets start that tour!" Rhythmi chirps. She finally relaxed with Keith out of sight.

She leads me into the room next door and knocks. A muffled, "Enter!" reaches our ears, and Rhythmi opens the door. Immediately, the smell of hairspray sends me into a coughing fit. It's overpowering, and it's attacking my lungs! Finally, I decide that holding my breath is probably the only way to deal with it, and I finally gather my bearings a little.

"-and I just wanted to introduce her to the other homeroom teacher."

"Very well," says what I now realize is the _source _of the overbearing hairspray, "I am Mr. Kincaid as your friend just said. If you wish to do well at this school, I must insist that you follow but one rule. Do not run in the halls. Now please excuse yourselves. I have a class to teach."

Rhythmi and I don't need to be told twice. We hightail it out of there faster than a rapidash using agility. When we are out in the hall again, I suck in lung-fulls of air. I've never felt more thankful for clean air in my entire life. I feel sorry for the guy's students. If I only lasted a few minutes, how can they stand being in that room for hours?

"What's his deal?" I wheeze out. "I've never felt so suffocated in my life!"

"No one really knows why he puts on so much hairspray. His hairdo shouldn't really require so much of it; trust me. I've seen bridal hairstyles that need less hairspray to last the entire wedding than the amount Kincaid uses in an hour. Don't get in trouble with him. I can't imagine spending hours in a room with him..." Rhythmi shudders in disgust. "Why don't we get on with the tour?"

I nod. She can lead me anywhere as long as we do not go back into that classroom. Hopefully, this is the worst part of this "tour."

"Up this hallway is the library and teachers lounge. If you want to avoid Keith, make sure to stay out of there during his nap time. A lot of us joke that it's his nap room. Of course," Rhythmi smirks, "he's any easy target to prank when he's out cold."

I laugh a little at that. It's good to know that sweet revenge won't be too hard to achieve whenever the guy chooses to be a jerk. Of course, based on what I've seen, that's just his full time personality. That is just too bad for him then. I wonder if Ms. April has a spare permanent marker that she wouldn't mind me borrowing...

_**Ding! Ding!**_

The bell's chime rouses me from my plotting. What a shame; I guess I'll have to plan out my revenge later. I'll have plenty of time for that over the next couple of years...

"Oh, that's the bell that signals when we're allowed to go outside. I guess I can show you the dorms later; we only have a limited amount of time outside," Rhythmi observes absentmindedly.

With that, we head outside. Despite the fact that I was out here earlier, I only now really take in the surroundings because I was too excited to get in the school before. A grassy field stretches out until the cliff cuts it off. In the middle of the field, the grass is a little lighter. In fact, the lighter grass looks like it makes a shape...

"Hey, Kate?" Rhythmi snaps me from my thoughts. "You do know about target clears, right?"

Target clears? I silently wrack my brain for any information that I could possibly know on the subject, but I come up blank. All of those years obsessing over rangers, and I don't know what a target clear is? This won't do! I shake my head "no" to Rhythmi.

"Oh, then we need to take you to Ms. Claire and Mr. Kaplan."

Kaplan? "Isn't he the guy who-"

"-talks about world domination and the like?" Rhythmi finishes for me. "Yeah, he is. _I _think that he just likes the drama of it all, you know? I mean; he doesn't exactly make good on those claims."

I laugh nervously. I really don't want to spend more time with that particular teacher. I honestly don't know if he's creepy or goofy, and I'm not exactly interested in finding out. Still... I guess Rhythmi wouldn't purposely lead me into trouble; she seems like a decent person...

We walk into the building that serves as Mr. Kaplan's and Ms. Claire's classroom, and of course, Mr. Kaplan greets us with, "So my minions have come for their training! Good, good! Perhaps with enough hard work, you two can rise through the ranks in this organiza-"

_Smack!_

Good thing Ms. Claire is here to keep him in check.

After that small ordeal, it's safe to say that the lesson was a normal one. The two teachers linked the lesson. First, they started by showing certain mechanics for capturing by capturing a bidoof. I pay close attention since I don't have anything on me that I can take notes with; my bag and materials were taken from me before to put in my dorm. After the bidoof is properly captured, the two teachers demonstrate a proper target clear. Me. Kaplan points his styler at the bidoof before clicking the "target clear" application on his styler and drawing a line to the crate he wants bidoof to catch. He makes a show of confirming the target clear, and the bidoof breaks the crate just after he clicks the "yes" button.

"Any questions?" Ms. Claire asks.

Not being able to think of any off the top of my head, I shake my head.

"Well, if that's the case," Mr. Kaplan begins, "I implore you two to get back to your studies, so one day, we can rule the wor-"

"Mr. Kaplan, don't go spreading that crazy conspiracy again! Girls, please show yourselves out; I need to have a word with Mr. Kaplan," Ms. Claire requests. It feels more like a demand...

Rhythmi and I waste absolutely no time hightailing it out of there. I don't know about her, but Mr. Kaplan's ramblings still creep me out. I'm not really looking forward to future classes with him...

"Ahhh!"

"That sounds like Janice!" Rhythmi gasps worriedly. "We should check it out!"

With that, we race to the center of the school's, for lack of better term, front yard. We are greeted by the sight of nine bidoof storming away angrily from the woman, Janice I believe, who is trying in vain to corral them.

Rhythmi immediately turns to me, "Kate, you did well on the entrance exam, right? Please help Janice! I'm not really all that good at capturing; I'm studying to be an operator, not a ranger."

I immediately agree. The poor woman is obviously not going to be able to get all of the bidoof back in one spot all by herself without a styler. It's really the least I could do for her. Plus, I'm going to be a ranger one day, and this is the type of stuff rangers do for citizens!

"There's no need for what's-her-name to do it!" Oh Arceus please don't let it be who I think it is... "I'll be able to capture ALL the bidoof by myself!" Yep. It's Keith.

"Really Keith? Her name isn't that hard to remember!" Rhythmi yells in annoyance.

"Hmph. Maybe I'll remember her name if she captures more bidoof than I do. What do you say, Nate?"

"It's **KATE!**" I screech angrily. "And you're on!"

Thus, our race to capture all of the bidoofs begins. I try to pace myself by only capturing one bidoof at a time so that I don't end up overwhelming myself and wasting more time. I'd say I'm making good progress. The first two catches were easy, and I captured them in a matter of seconds. The third one was hiding behind the school and was another easy capture. I finally approach the forth one and release the capture disc. Unlike the others, this one actively seeks out the capture disc itself when attacking, and that costs me precious time. Just as my styler shows that I finally captured the somewhat aggressive bidoof, Keith starts laughing.

"Ha! I got five of the bidoof, so you must only have four! I win!" he brags.

I roll my eyes in annoyance and pass the bidoof over to Janice who takes them to their penn. Sure, I'm not too thrilled about losing, but at least I helped Janice. I guess that's not too bad of a start to becoming a good ranger.

Just as I turn to leave, Keith stops me, "Listen, Kate, you're actually not too bad of a ranger. Your skill level is, like, sixty percent if mine, and that's pretty good for a newbie around here."

Recognizing the backwards comment and the fact that he actually knows my name, I spare him a "thank you" before turning away again.

"I'm not done," Keith says. "I think it'd be good if we became friendly rivals, you know? You're the only other ranger student in Ms. April's class, and I think that having to try and beat _me _is going to be a good challenge for you. Who knows, you might almost be as good as me one day. So what do you say?"

I nod reluctantly, "Sure, I guess. Friendly rivals it is."

Rhythmi mumbles something that sounds like, "And here I thought you had taste!"

Keith genuinely smiles at me, "Cool. Hey, has Keller shown you Ascension Square yet? If not, we can ditch her and go."

"And why would she want to ditch me?" Rhythmi challenges.

"She has me to hangout with now; why would she hang out with you?" Keith snorts derisively.

"Listen, you two," I interject. "Neither of you are going to be my friends if you two keep bickering like that!"

"But Dazzle started it!"

"But Keller started it!"

I shake my head disapprovingly, "And now you two are ENDING it. At least try not to be mean, okay Keith? Rhythmi?"

The two nod begrudgingly while glaring daggers at each other. I sigh. It's a start though, and I'm happy enough with that for now.

The three of us walk to Ascension Square with Keith and Rhythmi pointing out random things to me. It sounds more like a competition than actually trying to show me around, but it does give me some sort of feel for where everything is.

"Here we are!" Rhythmi announces after reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Yup. Ascension Square: One of the most important places in our school," Keith adds.

I look around curiously. I'm assuming this place is important because of the statue; there's nothing else here!

"They say that if you make a pledge here at the Pledge Stone, it'll happen. It's almost like a wishing fountain," Rhythmi sighs wistfully.

"It's pretty cool. It's said that Spenser, Joel, and the other base leaders from Fiore made pledges here!"

Now _that _caught my attention. I walk over to the statue, and sure enough, I see something signed by said base leaders. So famous rangers really did make pledges here...maybe I'll make one here one day. Not now though; I'll do it when I'm closer to graduating.

Since there's not much else to show me out here according to my "tour guides," and it's close to dinner time, the two lead me back to the school. Dinner is a loud affair full of more talking than eating. I don't mind though. It helps me get to know my two friends better, and I think they're starting to warm up to each other.

After dinner, Janice comes up and basically tells us it's time for lights out. The girls and I walk into our dorm, and I quickly pen a letter to my sister telling her about today before pulling out some pajamas.

"Kate, you don't need those yet. Just pretend to go to sleep for a few minutes until Janice checks up on us," Rhythmi whispers to me.

Confused, I do what she says. What could she possibly be planning?

* * *

Yeah so….I'm a little late on my updating for no real good reason except I've been exhausted these past few weeks…I blame doing last minute school stuff. I'm not done with all of it either, but I'm going to try to get another update in within the week because after that updates will be slower. You know how much school takes out of people…Anyway, I hope that the longer update is enough compensation for the somewhat long wait, and please review!


	12. Chapter 11

Viridian City can't really be compared to anywhere I've ever gone before. It's not like Fall City which is always filled to the brim with people from all over the world, and it's completely different from the usually calm and friendly Pueltown. I wish that I could truly do it justice, but the only way I could describe it is as a mildly busy place. The sidewalks are half full at most, and the people on them give me strange looks. Can they tell I'm not from here? I mean; some of the looks I've gotten are downright hostile! What could I have possibly done wrong; I've hardly been in this city for fifteen minutes! Of course, I get my answer right as the thought crosses my mind.

"Oh my Arceus! It's Blue Oak!" Blue has some fans in this city apparently. Guess what? They're all girls.

Before I could even blink, a gaggle of girls push me away from Blue so that they could surround him. I land on my butt, and I look at the girls incredulously from my position on the ground. What the heck just happened here? They just...appeared! I didn't even see them coming! Honestly, I never expected to get run over by fangirls because of Blue...How does he even have fangirls? Being the grandson of Professor Oak is hardly a reason for girls to just throw themselves at him, and I honestly can't think of any other reason he could be well-known. I mean; I never heard of him before in any other context than being related to the pokemon professor. Then again, he might just be a local celebrity like rangers tend to be. After all, everyone knows the rangers stationed in their area, but no one ever really knows any rangers outside of their region unless they are top rangers. Everyone knows who the top rangers are. Well...everyone who lives in a region where rangers are part of the law enforcement knows who the top rangers are. I can't really speak for any of the other regions...It makes me wonder though; why would Blue be a local celebrity?

Realizing that I'm still sitting on my butt staring dumbly at the group, I immediately stand up and dust myself off. When I'm done, I can't help but wonder what I should do next. Back in Almia, when this used to happen to Keith, I would usually drag him out saying that we had a mission. That's what Keith usually wanted me to do unless he was chatting up one of those girls (I would do it anyway out of...well...jealousy), but I have no idea how Blue takes the attention. Does he like it? Does he hate it? Is he indifferent to it? I really don't know how to handle this situation, so I kind of just stand off to the side awkwardly.

Ten minutes later, it becomes apparent that the gaggle of girls isn't going away, and I'm going to assume he likes being the center of attention. I'm losing my patience and want nothing more than to leave, but I don't exactly want to upset my traveling partner so early on in our journey. After another five minutes of watching Blue flirting with the girls who were mindlessly giggling and hanging on to his every word, I decide to find the Pokemon Center on my own. How hard could it be to find a building with a red roof in a city that's practically all green? I call out Jack, and we set off together.

I should have known that this wouldn't be that easy. Viridian City, while not huge, looks exactly the same wherever I go. The buildings are all identical! They all have similar architecture, and they all have that same damn green roof; I'm starting to hate that color! It's everywhere in this city! The roofs, the doors, the windows, the signs, they are all green! I can't take it! Next thing I know, the people are going to be green too!

"Saur?" Jack nudges my leg a little.

Oh yeah. My pokemon is green too. At least he's a different shade of green than everything else because I don't think I would be able to handle that. As he looks up at me in concern, I focus on his crimson eyes. Those aren't green, and I'm able to collect my thoughts without getting irritated at my surroundings.

"Jack," I sigh, "I think I need to get out of this city for a while. What do you think?"

"Saur!" Jack cheers. I think I'll take that as a yes.

Spotting a girl with a white puffy hat that kind of reminds me of a mushroom walking confidently down the street, I call out, "Excuse me? Girl with the puffy hat?"

The girl immediately twirls around and chirps, "Yes?"

I walk over to her and ask politely, "Do you think you could point me out of the city? Or at least to the Pokemon Center? My tour guide kind of ignored me, and I left him behind somewhere..."

"That's terrible! You must have been wandering around this city so confused!" the girl sighs sympathetically before perking right back up again. "Well, then I'll be your tour guide! I'll show you all of my special shortcuts and the best places to hang out and eat! It'll be fun! I'm Lyra by the way!"

I stare blankly at the...peppy girl before finally smiling at her enthusiasm, "Well, Lyra, I'm K-Wendy! Heh, just Wendy. Anyway, if you don't mind, can we start by heading somewhere not so...green?"

Lyra giggles, "Viridian City definitely lives up to its name, doesn't it? Well, I have to pick up some stuff from the pokemart and pick up my pokemon from the center, so those are going to be our first stops! After that, I'll show you the routes leading to Viridian!" Her eyes land on Jack. "You have a bulbasaur? That's so cool! You must be a new trainer, right? Of course you are! That's why you're lost in Viridian City, duh! I can't believe I'm helping out a new trainer...but you look kind of old for a beginner. Why'd you get your starter so late?"

My first reaction is to stare at the friendly brunette who must have said an entire paragraph in just one breath. Then, I realize that she asked me a question that I honestly don't have an answer for. I can't exactly tell her that I'm a ranger who had no choice but to become a trainer because she has a busted styler! There's a reason I have an alias! Then again, I could just tell her part of the story and leave out the fact that I'm a ranger...

"Well...have you heard about the attack on Oblivia?" I ask.

"Yeah. It's so sad!" Lyra sniffles. "All those people are either homeless or dead! The entire region is just completely ruined!" A fire ignites in her eyes. "If I EVER find the people responsible for all of that destruction...Wait...You're from Oblivia, aren't you? That's terrible!" She wraps her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to!"

I return the hug as I whisper somewhat hoarsely from lack of oxygen, "Thank you."

I'm so glad that she doesn't mind me not saying anything; I don't have to lie to her more than necessary. She's such a sweetheart, and the thought of lying to her weighs heavily on my heart. It's bad enough that I've told her my name is Wendy...

"Well let's get on with the tour!" Lyra cheers. "If we start moping, we'll never get it done! In fact, let's just spend the day having fun so that we can forget all that sad stuff!"

I smile sadly at her. That girl is amazing; she's trying to cheer up a person that she just met when she probably had other plans. Even if I wanted to say no, I don't think I'd be able to deny that cheery personality of hers. Besides...I could use a girls' day out. The second I nod my assent, she grabs my hand and starts dragging me to the Pokemon Center, and I can't help the small grin that finds its way on my face.

* * *

Yeah….updates are probably going to be slower from here on out since school starts on Monday for me…On the bright side…Yeah I got nothing…Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter; please review. I need all the cheering up I can get. ;)


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